After twenty years together, Jill and Jack’s relationship is hanging by a thread. Jill has planned this road trip to rekindle their love, hoping the nostalgia of their college days will bring them closer again. But deep down, she knows something has changed—Jack is distant, distracted, and Jill suspects that he’s hiding more than just a wandering heart.

Jack, on the other hand, has made a decision. He’s finally going to leave Jill. For years, he’s felt trapped by a secret she holds over him—a dark truth that’s kept him tethered to her despite the slow unraveling of their marriage. But he’s done living in fear, and this trip is his chance to break free.

As they drive further from home, the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense. Jack soon realizes he’s not the only one with a plan. Jill’s secret is more dangerous than he ever imagined, and she’s willing to go to extremes to ensure he stays. She’s set up a twisted game of cat and mouse, where every choice he makes brings him closer to the truth or closer to ruin.

As they battle for control, betrayal, and survival, both Jill and Jack learn that love isn’t the only thing keeping them together.
#Jillisnothappy
#CatandMouse
#WinnerWinnerDeadlyDinner
#NoTurningBack

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
What a wild ride!!!
Jill meets Jack at college and would stop at nothing to have him. She believes they are happy, wealthy and living the dream!
Jack wants out—but— he’s met his match with Jill — she loves him and won’t let him go —- and what Jill wants Jill gets!

Thanks Netgalley and Kaira Rouda and publishing for my free ARC! I was entertained by this novel and actually felt cringe for the situations endured. I remember thinking: Will this madness ever end.., there has to be a way! If it was myself in the protagonist’s position, I would have found numerous ways. I wanted to scream at the victim: Try this, or this,etc… I recommend this novel, full of Kaira Rouda’s signature dark humor and relationship turmoil.

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞
𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝,
𝐄𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐝.

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥, 𝐚 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫,
𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫.
𝐈𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧,
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐧.

It was so refreshing to take a break from thrillers where the male is the monster. Jill zeroed in on Jack when they were in college, and she set out to win his heart. She did exactly that, and even though his parents didn't like her, Jack was so in love, none of that mattered.

Until now.

Jack realizes this is far more serious than being trapped in a loveless marriage. Jill has been holding him hostage all these years because she is the keeper of Jack's secret, the one that will ruin in. She documented the misdeed in a notebook, and she's been adding to it all these years; but even worse, she's been up to misdeeds of her own that she flaunts in front of Jack, who is powerless to do anything without ruining himself.

Darkly humorous with a glimpse into the life of a beautiful yet deeply unhappy and dysfunctional couple, JILL IS NOT HAPPY will have you thinking long and hard before saying "I do." I've seen comments about the ending not being satisfying, and I'll say that is if you like your endings wrapped up in a bow, be forewarned. However, I loved how it ended because it fit the themes in the book. Thank you to Scarlet Suspense, Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse, and MBC Publicity for the early copy. This book is expected to publish June 10, 2025.

I'm always buckled up and ready to go on a wild ride filled with twisted craziness and diabolical characters when I start a Kaira Rouda book. She did not disappoint with that in this one, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked. It was a fast-paced page turner that switched between the POVs of Jack and Jill like a back-and-forth dueling match. An exciting, popcorn thriller that kept me on my toes, my anticipation continuously building up for the final showdown...and then, nothing. I did not like how this book ended at all. I understand why the author chose it for the characters, but it was a big letdown in my opinion. I needed and wanted more. I also would have liked some kind of closure with Jill's family. They played a small part without any resolution, so now I feel like I have been left hanging. With that being said, I didn't hate it. I am still a diehard Rouda fan and look forward to reading whatever she comes up with next. I just didn't love the ending. I would still recommend this book to others with a warning that they may not be satisfied with the conclusion.

Thank you to Penzler Publishers for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

Jill Is Not Happy by Kaira Rouda is a whirlwind trip through a couple's marriage. As the couple's backstory slowly comes into sight, you begin to wonder what will happen next. Definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat! 4 stars

I adore Rouda's books so went into this with high expectations and was never disappointed! Jack and Jill met in college and are now married with daughter Maggie in college. All seems wonderful--on the surface--as both are hiding deep secrets There's a fire...and a diary....Go in blind but expect to read in one sitting as you can't put it down!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Jill is not happy, she is diabolical. Told in dual POV this really was a page turner. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next in this cat and mouse game. While this was a lot of fun the ending just didn’t deliver. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Jill is definitely a planner. It took her until her senior year in college to finally date number 8 (Jack) on her list of top ten potential husbands, and by the first date she had the wedding and perfect life planned out. Twenty one years and many shared secrets later, after Jack’s very wealthy parents died in a fire and left everything except their wine collection to charity, after their only daughter Maggie is off at school, and after Jack’s term as an Orange County town mayor ended disastrously, Jill has planned a road trip to Utah (the Mighty 5 national parks) that Jack reluctantly agrees to go on. Very reluctantly. Jill wants to have “fun;” Jack just wants to get the Utah road trip over with. Unfortunately, Jill hasn’t shared all her plans with Jack or her true definition of “fun.”

This is a toxic twisty revenge thriller told from each venomous partner’s POV. Each spouse is trying to outmaneuver the other and the suspense is in trying to figure out who will come out on top and how many nasty secrets will get revealed in the fray. It definitely kept my interest, but I despised the ending. I was invested enough to want to see some sort of “justice” occur, only to be left hanging. The writing was engaging, but this gets only 3 stars based on my total disappointment at the end. It was almost as if the author couldn’t figure out how to complete the story. If there’s a “Jill Is Still Not Happy” sequel, I’ll pass.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Just appropriately icy blue ones for Jill.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Well, Jill is using jimsonweed (Datura) trumpets in her salad for Jack. Let’s hope she used gloves when picking it!
Myths about Utah: Hey, Jill, they do dance in Utah. Talk to the BYU competitive ballroom dance teams. Fudge with beans? Nope, not in the Ward Cookbook. Funeral potatoes, yes. The Red Rock Grill at the Zion Lodge has a full service bar, as does Bryce Canyon Lodge.

Thank you to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Jack and Jill met in college and fell in love. Time does fly, and now their daughter Maggie has flown the nest and is starting her own life. But somehow, Jill’ss plans to reinvigorate her marriage do not seem to match Jack’s plans.
There’s so much I want to say, but looking back at the book description, most of my thoughts could lead me down a hill into spoiler territory
What I can say…… don’t mess with Jill….don’t turn your back on Jill…….don’t feed her after midnight…… and by all means, keep Jill away from water😂 But seriously, she might look attractive, but under that façade lies a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality. What Jill wants Jill gets, no matter who gets hurt. And Jill always wants Jack…..forever. I can’t say why without giving something important away, but personally I loved the ending.
This book publishes at the beginning of June and this is exactly the kind of book that I love to read on the beach. 4.5 stars.

This was a solid 4 star book until the ending. I needed more. I wasn’t satisfied. But I love Kaira Rouda’s books so much. They are such fast, fun reads. I really liked the. Ack and forth of this book. I just needed more closure!

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc.

I was fortunate to receive an early copy of this book and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished it. Such twisted fun! I was locked into this revenge thriller from page one and I just know any fan of the genre will eat this story up! Perfect for fans of White Lotus and The Perfect Couple. Kaira Rouda is a master of writing relationship dynamics that are perfect on the surface, terrifying underneath and I cannot wait to read whatever she writes next!